TOKYO — Japan's beloved elderly giant pandas Shin Shin and Ri Ri were safely returned to China on Sunday (Sept 29), Tokyo's Ueno Zoological Garden reported on its website.

The two pandas arrived at the Ueno zoo in 2011, bringing a little lightness to the country just months after a devastating earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on March 11 of that year, and continued to draw fans of all ages over the years.